Key retainer

ABSTRACT

A KEY RETAINER INCLUDING A PLASTIC KEY PLATE HAVING A WALL WHICH MERGES INTO A BARREL PROVIDES WITH A TROUGH TRAVERSED BY A PLURALITY OF SLITS. THE HEADS OF KEY LOOPS FIT INTO THE TROUGH WHILE THE SHANKS OF THE LOOPS NORMALLY EXTEND OUTWARDLY THROGH THE SLITS. THE KEY LOOPS CAN BE REMOVED BY PRESSING THEIR HEADS THROUGH A SLOT IN THE BARREL DEFINED BY OPPOSED DEFORMABLE RIBS.

Feb. 23, 1971 w A. J. BURNISKI I 3,564,881

KEY RETAINER Filed Sept. 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1971 A. J. BURNISKI 3,564,881

KEY RETAINER Filed Sept. 25, 1968 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .g g g/lwj w A FOP/V576,

United States Patent I Ofiice 3,564,881 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 3,564,881 KEY RETAINER Anthony J. Burniski, Warson Woods, Mo., assignor to Prince Gardner Company, a division of Swank, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 761,430 Int. Cl. A47g 29/10 U.S. Cl. 70-456 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to key retainers, and more par ticularly to one-piece plastic key retainers in which individual keys can be temporarily detached.

Key cases consisting of a foldable case having a key retainer plate riveted to it and a plurality of key loops swivelly, yet removably, fitted into the plate are commonplace. The plates, however, are generally stamped from metal and in time deform to the extent that they no longer retain the loops. Consequently, the loops and keys can fall from the plate and become lost. Moreover, the plates allow the loops to swivel unrestrained in a lateral direction, causing keys to migrate toward the center of the case where they become tangled with one another. This disarray greatly hinders selection of the proper key, even under good lighting conditions. Furthermore, metal key plates tend to corrode and become unsightly in the presence of perspiration and body oils.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a key case retainer which retentively retains keys even after long periods of use. Another object is to provide a key retainer which maintains the keys in ordered relation to afford quick and easy retrieval of the proper key. A further object is to provide a key retainer having a key plate which does not tarnish or become unsightly through use. Still another object is to provide a key retainer which is attractive in appearance, rugged in construction, and economical to manufacture.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a key retainer having a key plate provided with a wall which merges into a barrel through which a trough extends. Slits extend through the barrel and wall transversely to the trough. The trough accommodates the heads of key connectors, the key connectors also having shanks which extend outwardly from the trough through the slits.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key retainer constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a key plate forming part of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 and showing a key loop detached from the key plate;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the head of a key loop inserted through the key plate;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the key loop retentively engaged by the key plate;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a reinforcing frame forming part of the present invention; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side and front elevational views, respectively, of the key plate rigidified by the reinforcing frame.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 2 designates a key retainer including a foldable case 4 having a center section 6, a cover section 8, and a fiap 10 provided with a snap element 11 for engaging a mating snap element (not shown) on the outer face of the cover section 8. The center section 6 carries a key plate 12 having a plurality of laterally spaced key connectors or loops 14 swivelly mounted in it.

The illustrated description shows a soft back key case, but the invention is equally applicable to a hard back or rigid shell key case. This type has a hinge assembly along one longitudinal edge and a snap fastener of some sort at the other longitudinal edge and the key retainer is positioned at said edge.

The key plate 12 is preferably molded from a rigid high impact plastic having limited flexibility such as Zytel 101 nylon resin marketed by E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and includes a flat base 16 which is secured to the center section 6 of the case 4 by a pair of rivets 18. The base 16 integrally merges into an oblique front wall 20 which, in turn, merges into a reversely curved barrel 22. Extending through the barrel 22 is a trough 24 of generally arcuate cross-sectional shape. The trough 24 opens outwardly to the rear of the front wall 20 through a slot 26 defined by a pair of opposed longitudinally extending deformable retention ribs 28 and 30, located on and formed integral with the inner and outer ends, respectively, of the barrel 22. The ribs 28 and 30 have beveled outwardly presented camming surfaces 31 leading up to the slot 26. The barrel 22 is further provided with a plurality of parallel slits 32 which extend from a point immediately inwardly from the outer rib 28 through the remaining portion of the barrel 22, including the inner rib 30, and into the front wall 20 where they terminate at enlarged circular apertures 34 which are approximately the same diameter as the trough 24.

The key loops 14 are preferably formed from a resilient wire and include a looped end portion 36 which closes upon itself with one of its ends merging into a shank 38. At its opposite end the shank 38 terminates at a generally spherical head 40. The diameter of the wire, and particularly the diameter of the wire at the shank portion 36, is small enough to fit slidably in the slits 32, while the head 40 is larger than the slits 32 as well as the slot 26, yet is smaller than the apertures 32 and the trough 24. Since the front wall 20 is presented obliquely to the base 16 and the barrel 22 terminates above the plane defined by the lower face of the base 16 (FIG. 3), a generally triangular clearance space 42 exists between the rear face of the front wall 20 and the center section 6. The apertures 34 open into this clearance space 42 and so does the slot 26.

In use the enlarged head 40 of a key loop 14 is passed through an aperture 34 into the clearance space 42 (FIG. 4), and then toward the slot 26 which opens into the space 42. As the head 40 moves toward the slot 26, the shank 38 will move toward the barrel 22 in the slit 32 leading away from the aperture 34. After a short distance, the head 40 will engage the camming surfaces 33 on the ribs 28 and 30, at which point the key loop 14 is pressed with greater force so that the head 40 spreads the ribs 28 and 30 and enters the trough 24 (FIG. 5). Once the head 40 passes beyond the ribs 28 and 30, the natural, resiliency of the plastic material will snap the barrel 22 back into its original configuration. Accordingly, the head 40 will be captured in the trough 24 with the shank 38 projecting outwardly through the slit 32. In this connection, it should be noted that the shank 38 possesses sufficient length to allow the entire looped end portion 36 of the key loop 14 to SWillg against the base 16 (FIGS. 1 and 5), in which position the free end of the looped end portion 36 will be disposed at the aperture 34. When the key loop 14 is in this position, the shank 38 extends generally in the same direction as the adjacent oblique front wall so that the shank 38 is confined by the sides of the slit. By reason of this fact, the key loop 14 is restrained from swinging laterally and thereby interfering with other key loops 14. It is, however, not restrained from swinging outwardly along an are generally concentric about the center axis of the trough 24. Other loops 14 are fitted into the other apertures 34 and slits 32 of the key plate 12 in the same manner. Of course, each key loop 14 is capable of retaining one or more keys (not shown) and those keys are fitted to the loops 14 by spreading the free ends of the looped end portions 36 away from their respective shanks 38 and inserting those ends through the eyes of the keys.

The key loops 14 are removed by pressing the heads toward the slot 26 and against the arcuate walls of the barrel 22 which extend across the ribs 28 and 30. Again, the head 40 of the particular key loop 14 being removed will cam the ribs 28 and apart against the natural resiliency of the plastic so that the head can pass beyond the ribs 28 and 30 into the clearance space 42. The key loop 14 is removed completely from the key plate 12 by withdrawing its head 40 through the aperture 34.

Inasmuch as key plate 12 is formed from plastic, it will not permanently yield to the extent that the ribs 28 and 30 become spaced too far apart to retentively engage the heads 40, as often occurs with metal key plates. Similarly, the key plate 12 is not tarnished and rendered unsightly by body acids and oils.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, it is possible to further rigidify the key plate 12 with a metal reinforcing frame 50. The frame includes a flat transverse portion 52 which overlies the flat base 16 of the key plate 12 and is securely fastened thereto by the rivets 18. Along its lower margin the transverse portion 16 is turned inwardly in the provision of a base flange 54 which extends along the lower edge of the key plate 12, thereby impartin rigidity to the transverse portion 52 as well as to the flat base 16 of the plate 12. At its opposite margin, the transverse portion 52 integrally merges into a pair of end fingers 56 which extend upwardly along and follow the contour of the oblique front wall 20 and the reversely curved barrel 22 laterally beyond the outermost slits 32 and apertures 34 in those portions of the key plate 12. Beyond the upper ends of the slits 32 the fingers 56 are interconnected by a connecting portion 58 which traverses the entire back side of the barrel 22 and is provided with an inwardly turned flange 60 which follows that edge of the barrel 22 located beyond the outer rib 28. The flange 60, like its counterpart on the flat transverse portion 52, imparts rigidity to the connecting portion 58 as well as to the barrel 22.

The reinforcing frame 50 rigidifies the entire key plate 12 and avoids any possibility of the key plate 12 flexing in such a manner that the slits 32 spread and allow the heads 40 of the key loops 14 to slip out of the trough 24.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not con stitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A key retainer comprising a key plate formed from an integral one-piece resilient synthetic plastic material and having a Wall which merges into a barrel portion providedwith an internal trough and a slot through which the trough opens outwardly, said barrel portion being reversely curved about the trough and including a. pair of opposed ribs which define the slot, the key plate being further provided with slits opening into the trough and extending through the barrel and wall transversely to the trough, said wall being provided with apertures at the ends of the slits, the key plate further including a base connected to the wall beyond the apertures and at an angle with respect thereto, and key connectors, each including a head normally disposed within the trough, a reduced shank connected to the head and normally projecting outwardly through the slits, and key engaging means on the shank, the width of the slit and slot being smaller than the width of the trough whereby the head is retained in the trough, the apertures in the wall being large enough to receive the heads of key connectors, and a reinforcing frame comprising a transverse portion overlying and secured to the base of the key plate, fingers extending from the transverse portion along and following the contour of the wall and barrel portion, a connecting portion interconnecting the fingers and extending across the barrel portion of the key plate beyond the ends of the slits, and flanges on the transverse and connecting portions for rigidifying the frame.

2. In a key retainer comprising a key plate formed from an integral one-piece resilient synthetic plastic material, the key plate comprising a wall which merges into a reversely curved barrel portion to define an internal trough, the barrel and wall having slits therethrough opening into the trough transversely thereof with apertures in the wall at the ends of the slits, a base connected to the wall beyond the apertures and at an angle with respect thereto, and key connectors, each including a head normally disposed within the trough, a reduced shank connected to the head and normally projecting outwardly through the slits, and key engaging means on the shank, the head fitting through the apertures and being larger than the width of the slits but smaller than the width of the trough whereby the head is movable in the trough while being retained therein, the improvement comprising a reinforcing frame comprising a transverse portion overlying and secured to the base of the key plate, fingers extending from the transverse portion along and following the contour of the wall and barrel portion, and a connecting portion interconnecting the fingers and extending across the barrel portion of the key plate beyond the ends of the slits.

3. The key retainer of claim 2 wherein the frame includes flanges on the transverse and connecting portions for rigidifying the frame.

4. The key retainer of claim 2 wherein the frame includes a right angular flange on the transverse portion for rigidifying the frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,588,857 3/1952 Legat 70-456 2,657,568 11/1953 Morrell 70456 3,008,323 11/1961 Legat 70456 3,132,504 5/1964 Beilis 70-456 3,309,905 3/1967 Shepherd 70-456 3,469,424 9/1969 Shears 70456 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner 

